American life expectancy has been cut short by opioids Current life expectancy for Americans is 78.8 years (CNN) Opioid drugs -- including both legally prescribed painkillers such as oxycodone and hydrocodone, as well as illegal drugs such as heroin or illicit...

On September 18th, activists and family members of loved ones who died in the opioid/heroin epidemic called on legislators to provide funding for the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act, which Congress passed in July without funding. Photo by John Moore/Getty Images